My first research obsession? The Lincoln assassination. At age ten, I raided my dad's Civil War books for more information. Aliens became my second obsession--I base my ideal of feminine strength on Ellen Ripley--but the most influential emerged with the debut of "The Young Riders" a '90s TV show about the Pony Express. I became the foremost authority on pony express history at Mishawaka High School. Not much of a boast, but research, fan fiction, and historical romances kept me out of trouble.
As a National Merit Scholar, I attended Bowling Green State University in Ohio. I traveled to Norwich, England, for my junior year, studying at the University of East Anglia, where I met my husband. After a brief stint as an unaccomplished art major, I graduated from BGSU with a BA in English and history. Ohio State University accepted me as a graduate teaching assistant. I earned my MA with a thesis on Old West outlaws and the impact of legend on society.
After committing to a career writing fiction, I set my first manuscript in 1804 Salzburg. In November 2006, to help promote and network among those who write historical romances set in unusual times and places, I established the multi-author blog Unusual Historicals.
Shortly thereafter, I wrote what became What a Scoundrel Wants--my swashbuckling contribution to the Robin Hood legends--and an Italian time travel called "Sundial," which won The Wild Rose Press's "Through the Garden Gate" short story contest. Both stories were accepted for publication in autumn 2007. The Castilian-set sequel to What a Scoundrel Wants, called Scoundrel’s Kiss, featuring a warrior monk and an opium addict, will follow in late 2009.
Currently, I'm working on novels ranging from medieval Sicily and Venice to the early 20th century American West, and from WWII Berlin to a cataclysmic sci-fi adventure set 800 years in the future. I recently returned to the classroom on a part-time basis, teaching creative writing for the continuing education program at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
Husband: Keven
Children: Juliette (5),
and Ilsa (4)
Best adventure: my study abroad year in England
Fave musicians: U2, Chris Isaak, Charlotte Martin, A-Ha, Imogen Heap, Vast, Coldplay
I first noticed my husband: dancing, then discussing imperial Russian history
First romance: Santana Rose by Olga Bicos
Fave thrills: anticipation, new music, roller coasters
Pets: three tabbies (Hopi, Walter, and Marielle), one fish (Westley)
Fave places: Cancun, the London Underground, the shores of Lake Michigan
Fave TV shows: "Life," "Doctor Who," "So You Think You Can Dance"
Previous jobs: late night fast food cook, concrete laborer, graduate teaching assistant, financial secretary, waffle waitress
Want to visit: Salzburg
Worst fear: harm to my family
Biggest time waster: YouTube
Fave foods: freshly baked bread, mocha latte, enchiladas, lasagna, donuts
My heroes have always been: clever, funny, intense, wiry, dark-haired
My heroines have always been: tough, sassy, bold, maternal, independent